1. Field
The present invention relates to clothing and more specifically to sweaters and shawls which are worn over other clothing.
2. State of the Art
Peoples"" tastes in clothing and clothing styles are an elusive target which clothing designers, clothing retailers, and other such people have attempted to predict and oftentimes try to set. While some styles are set each year by the big name clothing designers, other styles simply emerge due to peoples"" habits. One such style which arose due to people""s habits is the wearing of a sweater tied around a person""s shoulders or waist when too hot to be worn. The sweater may be untied and worn in case the weather becomes colder such as by becoming cloudy or raining, since the outer clothing worn lacks sufficient insulation for such colder weather. The sweater may be draped over the person""s shoulders and the arms of the sweater tied in front of the person""s upper chest, or draped behind the person""s buttocks and the arms of the sweater tied in front of the person""s waist. This keeps the sweater handy for use should the weather turn colder, but does not require carrying of the sweater in the hands or around the arms of the person. The sweater worn draped over the shoulders or wrapped around the waist has become fashionable, particularly with women, who wear the sweaters for the stylish look and not because a sweater might be needed.
While many people like the stylish look created by wearing the sweater tied about them, they are not pleased by the bulkiness of the sweater. When draped over the shoulders, considerable bunching occurs at the juncture of the arms and the body of the sweater. This is because the arms extend laterally and downwardly of the body, but when worn draped over the shoulders, the arms must be rotated about one-hundred-thirty-five degrees from their normal position to wrapped about the person""s neck. Bunching or cupping occurs at a bottom portion of the body where respective front and rear portions of the body are juxtaposed.
Various garments have been designed which look like a sweater when worn tied about the person, but which are actually not real sweaters that can be worn as such which attempt to eliminate bunching problems. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,562 issued to Martin is disclosed a shawl type garment which is designed to simulate a sweater. The garment includes a main body panel and a pair of arms which extend laterally at a right angle from an upper portion of the main body panel. The garment is of a woven or knitted fabric that is either single or double layered. The garment is cut to minimize cupping at the bottom edge and can include trim buttons and button holes to simulate a cardigan sweater. While this garment may be an improvement over tying a real sweater by minimizing cupping at the bottom edge when tied around the person, there is still the problem of bunching at the juncture of the arms and the main body panel. That is, since the arms extend at a right angle laterally of the main body panel, there is considerable bunching at the juncture of the arms and the main body panel when the garment is worn draped over the shoulders. That is because the arms must be rotated ninety degrees from their lateral position to wrapped about the person""s neck and be tied.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,586,077 issued to Evans is disclosed a garment which is a combined muffler and scarf. The garment consists of a rectangular back section and two elongate rectangular muffler portions which are integrally formed with the back section or permanently attached thereto. The muffler portions extend in a spaced parallel relationship from an upper portion of the back section. A button or other fastening device is provided in the center of a lower edge of the back section. One muffler portion is provided with three loops at a distal end from the back section and the other muffler portion is provided with a loop and two buttons also at a distal end from the back section. When worn, the back section extends from the wearer""s shoulders down to the small of the back and the two muffler portions pass over the shoulders and are crossed over the chest and extend along the lower edge of the back section. The muffler ends are connected together using the buttons which fasten in the respective loops and the loops fasten over the button of the back section to attach the ends of the muffler portions to the back section to prevent the ends of the muffler from riding up when worn. The garment is not designed to look like a sweater, and does not look like a sweater. The muffler portions of the garment do not tie in front of the person wearing the garment, but rather requires fastening devices to secure the ends of the muffler portions behind the person.
There is a need for a garment which simulates a sweater when worn draped over the person""s shoulders and tied in front, but which does not bunch at the juncture of the arms and the body when worn as such.
The present invention is a non-bunching sweater wrap for wearing by a person over the person""s outer cloths that drapes over the upper back and shoulders around the neck of the person to simulate a sweater. The sweater wrap includes a generally rectangular body having a lower edge, a pair of side edges, and an upper portion. A pair of elongate arms extend upwardly from the upper portion, each arm having an outer edge and an inner edge. The body may be secured in position over the person""s outer cloths by tying the arms into a knot at the upper chest of the person without resulting in an inward bunching of the upper portion of the body and the arms behind and beside the person""s neck. The arms are preferably parallel with the respective inner edges including respective outwardly upwardly curved portions adjacent the body, and the outer edges substantially straight and parallel.